Pictures from OFCR

As I promised, here are some pictures of Old Faithful Christian Ranch this year. It was a lot of fun all three weeks but I have to say my personal favorite is Jr. High week. The kids are just excited, ready to have fun, and a lot of them are still open to the things of God. 

Our biker gang 

Dodge ball Court (I may or may not have spent most of my time here pegging children with dodgeballs. hehehe)

 Keith preaching to the Jr. Highers

 Pinata Time!

 Worship time!

 Dodgeball! 

Keith Stayman (He's not awake yet)

 Hannah going in for the kill

 Ben posing on the waterslide

 Chapel

 Kylie's Cabin

 Kevin Odette

 Strong Fujimoto!

Worship Time (Every move I Make)

As you guys can see this was a great summer up at Old Faithful Christian Ranch. I encourage kids to go to this camp if they can and people who are too old to go should volunteer for staff. It is hard, draining, and one of the most exhausting things you can do...but it is one of the most worthwhile ministries I have participated in. 

Are you a Radical?

Do we love Christ the way we are called to? Are we so sold out to Christ that if we lost everything, it would be enough?

Luke 9:57-58 "As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, 'I will follow you wherever you go.' And Jesus said to him, 'The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.'"

We are so quick to say that we will follow Christ wherever he wants us to go...but what if he calls you to poverty? What if you have to walk a desert path? Will you still say blessed be the name of the Lord? Will we  understand Christ's word when he says "And he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me" 2 Corinthians 12:9.

Paul had implored with God to take away a "thorn in the flesh" but God didn't do it! Paul accepted this because he believed Christ when he said that his grace is sufficient. How true those words are and how often do we not live them out! There are exceptions obviously, the woman suffering from cancer, the man struggling through a divorce, or the child struggling through an addiction who call on the name of the Lord. However, how often do we tell God "It's chill, I got this one covered"?

This should not be! I am guilty of this. I try so hard to plan and prepare for every situation. Then something happens that I did not expect then I hit my knees and pray about it. Shouldn't we bring everything to the cross before the crap hits the fan?

It appears that we don't trust God in our own lives. What in your life shows that you are different from the person who doesn't have Christ, besides Sunday morning? We have to die to ourselves in order to live for Christ. Is that a price you are willing to pay?

Old Faithful Christian Ranch Summary

So as most of you know I have served for the past month up in Island Park, Idaho at Old Faithful Christian Ranch. This had to be one of the hardest yet most rewarding summers of serving yet! I have to admit that there were days I was thinking "God, why on earth am I here right now?" But God made it all worth it this summer.

July 9th-13th we had Sr. High Camp. This is a camp basically for 10th grade up to graduated 12th grade. Let me tell you it was difficult, some members of my cabin were rebellious towards me because of the lack of age difference, while others were okay with it. I had to rely on God for the strength and the patience to handle the situations as they came up. God does not abandon his people though! "Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." (Isaiah 40:30-31)

July 16th-20th we had Jr. High camp. This is for 7th grade-9th grade students. This camp was easier for me because there was more of an age difference. However, I still had to trust in the Lord because my strength is weak compared to what I had to face. This week was really great though, I saw a renewal of a passion for God and it encouraged me to keep following God. We also had one boy from our cabin give his life to God. Let me tell you, nothing gets me more excited about God then seeing people come from death into life. It is invigorating to say the least.

July 30th-August 3rd we had Junior boys camp. The week before that was a Jr. Girls camp for 4th-6th grade girls that (for obvious reasons) I did not assist with. But Junior boys week was definitely a challenge for me. You try watching twelve 4th-6th grade boys for a week and you will understand what I mean. But God prepped me and strengthened me for the challenge. We had at least 5 boys out of our 12 recommit to or accept Jesus Christ. IT WAS FANTASTIC! I had one kid come up to me on Wednesday night and ask me, "How do I accept Jesus into my heart?" I told him, "That is the best question ever!" I made sure he understood what Jesus did for us and he accepted Christ. As it says in Luke 15:7 the angels were rejoicing over that one soul that was saved!

So to sum it up, this July was incredibly difficult for me personally. I struggled with self doubt, with sleeplessness, rebellious campers, sleep deprived staff (I can't say I was any better though lol), and Satan on the prowl. But as it says in 1st Peter 5:8-9 "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world." Resist him and he will flee. That is what we did at Old Faithful Christian Ranch this year.

I'll look into getting some pictures posted on the blog here soon hopefully!

If anyone is interested in serving at Old Faithful Christian Ranch next summer check out the link below and their facebook page!

http://www.ofcr.org/

https://www.facebook.com/OFCR.org

God bless!

The Will of God

God's will...its a tricky subject. People try to find the will of God/gods by Ouija Boards, Fortune balls, praying to their ancestors, and every other thing imaginable. Why? Because people are scared of the future. They want to know whats going to happen.

If you had asked me five months ago whether or not I was going to serve at Pinedale Bible Church I wouldn't have been able to give you an answer. Was serving here God's will? Well I'm here so I am going to say yes. Did he have something better planned for me? Possibly I don't know. However, this I do know. I am here for a reason. I may have little experience when it comes to ministry but God wanted me here for some reason. People poured into me while I was here and I got to pour into people that I hope made some impact on them. 

Was this internship hard? You bet! I put in at least 300 hours of working with kids over the month of July alone. Was I discouraged? You bet! I still am somedays! But, looking back, if I had the choice to do this summer over again...I would still have chosen Pinedale. Because this is what God wanted me to do. I don't know what God wants me to do tomorrow. Who knows? Maybe in six months I will be in Kenya helping build a well! Or maybe I'll be serving at a church in Boise.

What am I trying to get at? I can hear you asking this now. Here is the point. Ministry is hard. Life is hard. Get used to it. Nothing in this world worth doing is easy. So pray to God for strength to do his will, pray for wisdom to do his will, and put your beard on! Philippians 1:6 "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."